1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda - Mecum Kissimmee 2016 Lot F100

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Lot F100: 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda, formerly of the Brett Torino Collection
ESTIMATE: $800,000 - $1,200,000

The adage often is that a car is only original once, and many understand that provenance is a crucial part of buying investment-grade muscle cars. A vehicle of this nature is expected to exhibit signs of preservation, and a great deal of attention is paid to the originality and date coding of all the components. For those looking for what has become an icon of the American performance era, the 1971 Hemi Cuda, not only is the provenance of this particular car noteworthy, but so is its ownership trail.

It was 1975, and Frank Badalson was not yet recognized as one of the premier Hemi originality experts in the Mopar hobby. He was a college student, and he was buying Terry Dye’s all-original 1971 Hemi Cuda as daily transportation and for an occasional pass at the local dragstrip. Even at that time, Badalson understood just how unique any Hemi car was, and the gas crunch of the mid-‘70s made ownership possible for a number of people like Frank who had missed them when new.

Final-year Hemi Cudas, then just four years old, were never commonplace. The increased surcharges for insurance had severely hurt the marketplace by that model year. This would be the Hemi Cuda’s swan song, retiring in its second and final year as unchanged as the engine itself; both disappeared into history as the model year wound down. Most often, people who braved the financial environment to buy a new Hemi Cuda in 1971 did not realize how important that purchase was at the time. We hazard that none of them even vaguely contemplated what eventual rarity and subsequent value these cars would have today. They simply wanted to own the most notorious high-compression package still available from Detroit.

Frank would own and drive this car for only about a year, and had regrets almost immediately after selling it in 1976. When the chance to buy it back from that same third owner occurred in 1994, with less than 6,000 additional miles showing on its odometer, Frank again took possession of the rare car. This time, he fully documented it, discovering important construction and material details that have helped many other Hemi E-bodies be correctly restored. After doing a correct engine freshening, he even drag-raced the rare car one more time in bone-stock condition for a story that ran in Mopar Muscle magazine in 2002 before it went via broker to its current owner, who has had it for the past 10 years. This is the only time it has ever been offered in a public venue.

Its history known basically from those early days, this is one of the most-noted unmolested Hemi E-body cars in existence. Only two 1971 Hemi Cudas are believed to have been ordered in GA4 Winchester Gray Metallic paint. The engine and driveline, sheet metal and rare leather interior are what came off the assembly line at Hamtramck in the spring of 1971 as the Hemi era wound down. Dye had special-ordered it, asking for “all stripes and chrome deleted” on the original order form filled out at Fairfax (Virginia) Chrysler-Plymouth dated 3/17/71. That form, included in the sale, notes the following options were ordered—E74 426 Hemi engine, D21/A33 Track Pak (A833 4-speed/3.54 Dana 60 SureGrip), raised white-letter G60x15 tires, leather bucket-seat interior, R11 AM radio with rear speaker, and tinted glass.

That combination was certainly exclusive enough that this car is indeed one-of-one. Along with the 15-inch wheels and its extra ‘Hemi Fender’ tag denoting added front-tire clearance, another item mandated by the Hemi option was N96, the legendary Shaker hood, which is painted argent with ‘hemi cuda’ callouts. With the scoop color-matched to the grille, this car exudes a deliberate level of performance sophistication. Behind the correct black-color steel wheels and four original Goodyear Polyglas tires, this Plymouth also has non-power-assist drum brakes. Again, the lack of the more deluxe wheels adds to this car’s mystique.

HIGHLIGHTS
- Unrestored Hemi Cuda
- Sold new at Fairfax Chrysler Plymouth in Fairfax, Virginia
- Formerly owned by Frank Badalson
- Original invoice
- Two Broadcast sheets
- Documented ownership history
- Original R-Code 426/425 HP Hemi engine
- Original 4-speed transmission
- Dana rear end
- Drum brakes
- GA4 Winchester Gray Metallic paint
- Black leather bucket seats
- Hurst Pistol Grip shifter
- Steel wheels and Goodyear polyglas tires
- Featured in Mr. Norm’s Sport Club November, 2001
- Featured in Mopar Muscle June, 2002
- Featured in Mopar Collector’s Guide September, 2002
- Magazines included
- 58,990 miles